


Sugar We're Going Down (or Up)

by ChampionFlyer



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Coran is presious, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Diabetes, Disclaimer, Dorks in Love, Emo titles, Established Relationship, Gay Keith (Voltron), High blood sugar, Keith (Voltron) is a Good Boyfriend, Keith is grumpy, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) Has Diabetes, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance (Voltron)-centric, Low Blood Sugar, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Sick Lance (Voltron), Sorry Not Sorry, Vomit in the second part, diabetic!lance, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-10-29 09:44:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17805686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChampionFlyer/pseuds/ChampionFlyer
Summary: One time Lance's blood sugar was low and one time it was high.FT. A diabetic!lance and his good boyfriend, Keith.





	1. Low Blood Sugar

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo before I get any hate, hear me out.  
> -I don't have diabetes so I don't know any of this information from a personal account  
> -All the information I have was given to me by friends, family, blogs, etc.  
> -If I don't get something right, I do apologize in advance. (Don't be a shit face and leave hate in the comments)  
> -I take constructive criticism  
> Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

CRASH! 

 

Keith bolted up from the couch with his hand already woven around his knives handle. Loud sounds these days tended to put them all at unease. Especially glass breaking. There were way too many windows for someone to break into the castle. 

 

The moment Keith realized his cuddly boyfriend wasn’t in his arms plunged him into a frantic state. He shoved himself off the couch and hurried towards the noise. “LANCE! Where are you!” He yelled as he sprinted down the luminescent hallways towards the kitchen. “ _ Why would someone break into the kitchen? Was Hunk’s cooking seriously that good?”  _ Keith turned the corner into the kitchen and stopped dramatically at the sight. 

 

Lance was sitting at the long table beside the food dispensers, looking quite frightened by Keith’s choice of entry. His eyes were brimmed with tears as he attempted to catch his breath and the broken glass beside the table suggested he dropped a cup of water. “Keith! Why did you run in here like a  _ maniac  _ and scare the living quiznak out of me?” Lance whimpered as he moved from his chair to acquire a dustpan. His motions were sluggish and shaky as he opened the cabinets above the weird Altean sink. It worried Keith. 

 

“I heard glass break and I woke up from our little snooze. When I realized you weren’t there I freaked out a little,” He said as Lance searched the cabinet slowly. “Why is there glass on the floor?” 

 

Lance’s eyes shifted down from the space and his one arm came up to massage his temple with his boney fingers. “I-I had a headache so I came in here to get a drink and check my BG…” He said, his voice cracking a little. He sniffed and whipped his eyes with the back of his hand. “And then I had to go and break a quiznaking glass and-”

 

Keith’s eyes softened as he walked over beside his distressed boyfriend and rubbed circles on his sweaty back. Lance was crying at this point. Keith hated it when Lance cried over something like this. But judging by the symptoms, he can’t help it. 

 

Lance is a type one diabetic. When his blood sugar is low, he tends to feel more emotional than usual and he shakes a lot. He’s not cold but he physically shakes. He sweats and gets terrible headaches. Overall, he feels really crappy when he’s low. And the fact he's always been more sensitive than other guys doesn’t help when he tries to feel fine. 

 

“Shhh, baby. I got you, I got you,” Keith cooed as he eased Lance into a hug, allowing most of the brunette’s weight to fall on him. Lance sniffled into Keith’s chest as a frown formed on his face. Keith pressed a kiss onto Lance’s soft hair before he pulled out of the hug and looked at Lance’s face. “Did you check your sugar?” 

 

Lance sniffed and whipped away the extra tears. “No,” He said, his voice low and gruff from crying. Keith rubbed up and down against Lance’s shaky arm and took his hand in his own. Lance lifted his head slightly to reveal his pale face and bloodshot eyes. Keith felt a pang in his chest. 

 

“How about we check your levels and figure it out from there? Does that sound okay?” Lance nodded and allowed Keith to guide him over to the table where he had previously been sitting. They avoided the broken glass, just to be sure neither of them would accidentally step on it and cause an even bigger scene. Lance sat heavily in the chair and took a deep breath before he grabbed his Blood Sugar Monitor 2000 (named and created by Pidge). He stuck the needle tip into his finger, barely flinching before he took it right back out. 

 

Keith had walked over to the refrigerator like thing and grabbed a water pouch out for Lance while he checked his levels on the monitor. He turned around to see his boyfriend banging his head lightly on the table. “Hey… don’t do that. You’ll make your headache worse,” Keith said softly. Lance looked up, slightly more miserable than before. “What’s wrong? Something’s wrong.” 

 

Lance sighed. “I need some carbs. I’m at 79 right now and I really don’t want to be lower than that right now,” he said, glancing up at Keith’s worried eyes. Keith offered a smile and a kiss to Lance’s sweaty forehead before he hopped over to the fridge in search of some food for his boyfriend. 

 

“Alright, hun. We’ve got leftover of- uh… whatever Hunk made the other night. Ah! We have strawberries!” Keith exclaimed, glancing over at Lance with enthusiasm in his voice. Lance’s face lit up slightly at the mention of strawberries. He liked the ones from Coran’s garden. Fact be known, Coran had a strawberry farm back on Altea and managed to sneak a few into the castles self-sustaining garden. Now, twelve-thousand years later, they still taste amazing. 

 

“Do you think Coran would mind if we ate the rest of the strawberries?” Keith asked as he contemplated whether or not they should eat the rest of the fruit. 

 

Lance thought for a moment before responding. “I don’t think we should. We don’t know if he had any left after picking this batch. Maybe this is his last batch and he wants to share it with Allura. After all, those berries are like one of their last memories of Altea,” Lance said. “Plus we can always find something else to bring my sugar up.”

 

Keith nodded and continued to look through the fridge for something that would bring Lance’s sugar up. He felt a little sad for Lance though. He understood Lance wants everyone to be happy but sometimes he puts his own health behind everyone else's. One time he forgot to check his sugar levels after a mission because he was helping Pidge bandage her arm. He passed out about ten minutes later and gave everyone a heart attack. Hunk though he died. But after a nap and a drink so sugary it could rival a can of Redbull, Lance was back to his normal self. Of course, Pidge played the blame game and took responsibility for Lance’s health, but everyone knew it wasn’t her fault. 

 

Lance sighed and winced as a wave of dizziness washed over him. He laid his head on the cool Altean table, allowing the cold sensation soothe his pounding headache. “Did you find anything yet?” He asked, trying not to sound impatient. 

 

Keith looked over at his boyfriend and felt the distress of his boyfriend. “Not yet. It’s like a ghost town in this fridge. I can ask Hunk if he can fix something up for you,” Keith offered as he walked back over to the brunette and crouched beside him. He set the water pouch next to Lance and rubbed his back with his hand. Keith let his other hand get tangled in Lance’s sweaty brown hair while Lance huffed out another painful sigh. “Do you want to go lay down for a little? Maybe I will help your headache.”

 

Lance rubbed his eyes and nodded. He stood shakily to his feet, swaying a little before Keith was able to actually get a good grip on him. Dizziness suddenly became an issue. Lance’s vision swirled as he stumbled forward. “Hey, I got you,” Keith mumbled, hoisting Lance up while keeping a tight grip on the unsteady paladin. “Can you walk honey?” 

 

Lance swallowed thickly. His throat felt so dry. Everything was hot and cold at the same time. “Umm… maybe? I- I don’t know?” Lance frustratingly whined.  “Can I sit back down? Please, I don’t feel good.”

 

Keith could hear the desperation in his voice. He eased Lance back down into the chair before running to the fridge and pulling out the pink strawberries. Lance, who had his head pressed against the cold table, released a weak, pained moan as he curled in on himself. “K-Keith? Please,” He whimpered. “I- I don’t wanna e-eat Coran’s s-strawberries.”

 

Keith sighed. He knew a little bit why Lance didn’t want to eat the strawberries but he asked anyway. Keith set the strawberries aside before walking over to Lance, who was steadily sobbing into the interior of his elbow. “Honey… Why don’t you want to eat them? I thought you loved Coran’s strawberries.” 

 

Lance sniffled as Keith wiped the tears off his pale face. “I-I do like them. I l-love them, b-but I w-want Coran to h-have them,” Lance cried, face scrunching up in pain as more aches infested his head. Keith felt hopeless once again. He didn’t know what to do. Lance needed carbs but the strawberries were the only source of carbs, with the exception of the food goo, that actually benefited Lance’s blood sugar. Right now, the food goo dispenser was in the course of remodeling and the team had really just been eating whatever is offered on the planets. Keith always double checks the calories and sugar counts on whatever their eating, just to make sure how much Lance should eat. 

 

“Baby…” Keith cooed, smoothing the bangs out of Lance’s eyes. Lance’s body quaked with the consistent sobbs erupting from his small frame. The red paladin’s eyes searched for something to distract Lance but found everything around him either metal or luminescent. Lance hiccuped, which Keith would have found adorable if there weren’t tears streaming from his eyes or beads of sweat dripping down his face. 

 

“KEITH! I WANT TO GO LAY DOWN!” Lance wailed, bringing Keith’s full attention back to Lance. Lance was full on sobbing again. “I don’t feel good and I’m dizzy and hungry and tired!” Lance yelled, only to find he was still sobbing as he made his point. It was an odd combination of feelings but it was enough to make Lance feel miserable. 

 

Keith was patient. He always was. Even if Lance was an emotional wreck, Keith knew he couldn’t help it. Keith rubbed Lance’s back and whispered sweet nothings into his ears while he sobbed. “Okay, alright. Lemme pick you up and carry you to the lounge. Do you want to go to the lounge?” Lance shuddered at the sudden gust of cold that overtook his body. But nonetheless, he nodded slowly. “Okay baby. Just close your eyes so you don’t get dizzy.”

 

Lance squeezed his eyes closed as Keith snaked his arms around under his knees and back before he felt himself being lifted up into muscular arms. He groaned and shoved his sweaty into Keith’s neck as he was carried to the lounge. He sniffled and shied away from any light source as they entered the empty lounge. Keith made his way over to the couch with Lance in his arms. He got the pillow that was previously used in their cuddle session and eased it under Lance’s heavy head. 

 

“Lance, baby? Do you want a blanket?” Keith asked, concern and worry leaking through his voice. Lance nodded slowly, keeping his eyes closed. Keith jumped up, hastily making his way over to the basket in the corner, and found one of the softest blankets in the whole castle. On his way back to the couch he stopped to turn off the lights. He looked over at his boyfriend to see his face ease as soon as the light went out. He trudged back over to Lance, upon seeing his watery eyes pop back open. 

 

“I turned the lights off to see if that helps a little,” Keith whispered as he layed the blanket over top of the shaking brunette. Lance squeaked out a meek ‘thanks’, his eyes drooping slightly. “Sleep a little honey. I’ll try and find something to bring your BG up-” Keith was cut off by the loud  _ whoosh  _ of the automatic door. 

 

“For quiznaks sake, does anyone turn a light on in this castle?” Coran exclaimed, flicking on the light switch before Keith could stop him. Lance whimpered, wincing at the sudden amount of light that flooded the room. He buried his face in the crook of his elbow in attempts to shut out any bit of bright lights. “Lance, my boy? Are you alright? You look like you just ate some of Allura’s glenwatkin pudding! Love her to death but she can’t cook to save her life,” Coran laughed, his loud British accent ringing in the quiet lounge. 

 

Keith jumped to his feet and scrambled over to the light switch next to the ginger. He hastily flipped the switch off before turning towards Coran. “Now what's the matter number two-”.

 

“SHHH!” Keith angerly shushed. Coran jumped at the sudden burst of emotion as he realized the vibe was distressful. “Lance’s BG is acting up, or down I guess in this case, BUT THAT’S NOT THE POINT!” Keith half shouted. He kept in mind Lance was still in the room. Coran’s face took on a worried expression at the mention of Lance’s BG. When Lance had been in the pod the first time, it did a routine scan of his body and found his pancreas was completely shut down. Coran, not knowing that Lance was a diabetic, immediately panicked, feeling utterly sickened by what could have caused this. He felt as if the explosion could have caused it. The moment that though brushed through his mind, he broke down in tears, feeling as if it was  _ his  _ fault that Lance was suffering. 

 

But once Lance was out of the pod, he explained to Coran what the whole diabetes this was, though it only seemed to freak Coran out more. He tried to understand but he couldn’t. He liked Lance from the very start. The boy was like a little ray of hope in the universe. But he didn’t like to think about how if Lance made one mistake in his diet he could potentially spiral health wise. That’s why it freaks him out when Lance gets a stomach ache or when Keith explains to the team why Lance can’t participate in training that day. 

 

Keith sighed, seeing maybe he went a little too hard on Coran. He knew how the man felt about Lance’s health. How worried he got when Lance came down with even something small. “Look. I’m sorry for getting frustrated. He’s okay. He just needs some carbs and some pain reliever. Probably a nap to sleep off the headache,” Keith explained calmly. “If you don’t mind finding him something to eat, that would be a  _ huge  _ help,” Keith didn’t know how much emphasis he put on the word ‘ _ help’  _ but he knew it was enough to get the point across. Coran nodded and jogged out of the room leaving Keith standing by the doorway. 

 

Keith’s mind was brought back to reality when he heard Lance sniffle. “Keith?” The tired brunette mumbled, his voice torn between a sob and a whimper. Keith’s expression softened as he walked back over to his beloved. He knelt in front of Lance and gently blew air on his sweaty face. Keith always blew on Lance’s face when he was feeling distressed or sick. It was just something unique to their relationship. Lance’s teary eyes fluttered sleepily as the cool air tickled his face. 

 

“Hey, baby? Coran went to get you some food and pain meds,” Keith explained, brushing Lance’s brunette locks out of his eyes. Lance shut his eyes tightly together as a wave of discomfort washed over him. He wanted to ask Keith to cuddle. He wanted to ask him to make the pain go away. He wanted to ask him to distract him with more kisses and hugs. Instead, he whimpered and made little grabby hands in the general direction he thought Keith was in. Keith smiled sadly as he scooped his boyfriend up in his lap and sat down with Lance’s head rested gently on his chest. He pressed another kiss to Lance’s sweaty forehead as he heard distant footsteps from down the hall. 

 

All of the sudden, Coran came bursting through the door holding too many items in his grasp to even count. He waddled his way over to the couple on the couch and dropped all the stuff onto the grey couch. “Alright! I have gathered plenty of supplies and food from around the castle. There should be something in here that will make number three feel better!” He stated in a seemingly happy tone. Deep down, Coran didn’t know what would be good for Lance right now so he brought a bunch of different things in case it wasn’t enough. 

 

“Thanks, Coran,” Lance mumbled into Keith's chest, his eyes not even opening for a second. Keith gave Coran a sincere ‘thank you’ before leaning over and grabbing something that looked like an energy bar. 

 

“Coran? What do these things say? I think they’re in Altean,” Keith spoke quietly, holding up the bar so the ginger could get a good look at it. Coran bent over and peered at the small energy bar before his face lit up in realization. 

 

“AH! Yes, my boy, those are very tasty! On Altea, we called those soap bars. Bars made of soap. Quite fabulous.”

 

Keith mentally facepalmed. “Coran,” He said. “Lance can’t eat this. No one on the castle who is a human being can eat this.”

 

Coran nodded and picked up another item that Keith identified as food goo. He prepared to shoot down the idea, seeing as food goo didn’t have any carbs or nutritional value. But Coran was way ahead of him and the orange hair man tossed the jar of food goo aside. Lance began to shake more violently against his body. Whimpers and groans escaped his mouth every so often and Keith had to shush him back to a calm, almost sleep-like state. 

 

“AHA! I believe I found something Lance might want to try,” Coran said. The Altean pushed aside a few bottles of pills and fluids before coming across what he had been looking for. Keith saw a container of berries identical to the ones in the refrigerator. “Altean strawberries. These are very high in carbs and they have the sweetest taste. Lance should love them!”

 

Keith smiled. He knew Coran would come up with something. He turned his attention back to the little bundle of Lance that was curled up in his arms. “Lance? Honey, can you open your mouth for a second? We have something to bring your sugar up and I think you will like it.” 

 

Lance’s eyes twitched and he let his mouth fall open against Keith’s chest. Coran handed Keith a berry, watching Lance tentatively as Keith popped the purple colored fruit inside the brunette’s mouth. Lance chewed a few times and swallowed the berry, his eyes fluttering open at the familiar taste of Coran’s berries. “Are these Altean strawberries?” He asked, his voice tired but tinted with concern. 

 

Coran smiled gently. “Yes, my boy. I have plenty of them. Eat as many as you need in order to feel tip top for the rest of the quadrant!” Lance nodded against Keith once more, taking a deep breath before Keith placed another berry in his mouth. Lance began to feel the sugar flowing back into his body as he hungrily ate the berries. Half the container was gone by the time Lance decided he had enough to get him to the end of the day. Keith had greedily snuck a few into his pocket for later. 

 

“Do you need anything else, baby? Water? Insulin? Pain medicine?” Keith asked as Lance snuggled into his body once again. 

 

“I can sleep off the headache. I don’t think I’ll need any insulin until tomorrow afternoon, so I’m all good on that,” He stated, closing his eyes tiredly. It was weird the way Lance took his insulin. Pidge and Hunk had developed a pill that simulates a certain dosage of insulin. Every time Lance is in need of insulin he just takes one of the pills and waits for his body to readjust. 

 

Keith massaged Lance’s head until the Cuban fell into a light sleep. By the time he had fallen asleep the couple had shifted around on the couch so Lance was laying with his head on Keith’s chest and Keith was well within the distance to kiss his head. With Lance dozing off, Keith took a deep breath and thought of the brighter days ahead. 

 

“Keith?”

 

Keith looked down at his boyfriend, who seemed to have sleepily called out his name. “Yeah, baby?”

 

“When my sugar gets low, can we start singing Sugar We’re Going Down?”

 

Keith laughed at how innocent Lance sounded. He pulled his boyfriend closer, the other boy snuggled farther and farther into his chest. “Oh, Lance. you know I’m a slut for Fall Out Boy.”


	2. High Blood Sugar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance can say it himself: He definitely preferred his low days over his high days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YELLOW! (sorry)
> 
> So all the information I gathered came from friends (ADDIE I LOVE YOU DIABETIC SOUL), family, or from the lovely folks in the comment section. <3   
> I also looked at surveys from one of the local hospitals and got around to meeting with some of the diabetic nurse(s) at the hospital. They were super nice and gave me some great tips on how diabetes works. 2/3 nurses I interviewed said they preferred their low days over their high days because of nausea and stomach pains. So before someone goes and bitches about it in the comments, yes, I did reliable research. Diabetes varies from person to person so Lance's diabetes just happens to be a wee bit of a pain in the ass.

_ “Mama? Did the flowers ever change while I was away?” Lance asked his mother, his eyes dragging longingly across the landscape of their spring bound backyard. The blue and orange flowers swayed in the midnight wind, gently knocking against each other. Fireflies dance among the bright flowers, acting as little lanterns for the lost folk.  _

 

_ Mama laughed, her motherly voice soothing the wrinkles left by time. “Mijo…  the flowers had always changed. A lot of things changed while you were gone.”  _

 

_ The word ‘gone’ hung in the air, leaving an eerie feeling in the still atmosphere. Lance didn’t like that word. Gone was too close to dead. He wasn’t dead. He was gone for a while but not dead. So many times he heard the word gone. So many times he tried to forget it. The thing about war is thing can go from right in front of you to gone in almost an instant. Planets, people, universes, technology, lives; Lance saw many of them disappear.  _

 

_ “But Mama, I wasn’t really gone,” Lance huffed out, taken back by his mama’s choice of words.  _

 

_ Mama’s face glistened with fresh tears, the moonlight reflecting off her pain stricken face. Not physical pain but physiological pain. “Oh Mijo, you know I always loved the flowers. They reminded me of you,” She said, flowers twitching as the wind died and the crickets stopped chirping. The night was dead silent. “Lance, why did you have to leave us?” She sobbed, her wrinkled hand coming to conceal her cries. Lance was taken back by his mother's sudden change in emotion.  _

 

_ “Mama… I’m right here,” Lance whispered, his hand finding its way to his mother’s shoulder. Right as his hand came in contact with his mother’s floral blouse Mama’s body disintegrated into dust and ash. Lance gasped. “MAMA?”  _

 

_ Lance fell to the harsh, cold ground of the porch, scooping up the dust and screaming for his siblings. The wind picked up again. The ashes blew from Lance’s hands as he sobbed. “MAMA!” He screamed and yelled and sobbed but no one heard him. The ground shook as the house and the trees crumbled to the ground. Lance shrieked. He scrambled away from the collapsing house and bolted towards the center of the yard where the flowers shriveled up, losing all the spring color they once had. The ground began to break away and fall into an endless void.  _

 

_ Lance saw the house and everyone he loved get swallowed up into the unknown. The floor beneath his feet split into two, slowly they began to part. Panic had seized Lance. Nowhere to go, no one to help him. All he could do was wait to fall into the void of darkness and- _

 

“ATTENTION PALADINS OF VOLTRON!” 

 

Lance bolted up in his bed, immediately regretting it when his head flared up in pain. He groaned, massaging his temple as Allura continued the announcement. 

 

“Today we will all be participating in a lion bonding exercise! I will explain more once we meet at the training deck in forty-five dobashes,” she said, ending the announcement over the intercom system. Lance sighed. He felt the other person in his bed roll over and sleepily sigh. Lance forced a smile upon seeing Keith’s bedhead and dopey love grin. He also felt a sneaky suspicion that his BG was super high right now. 

 

Lance decided to skip dinner last night to help Keith get Altean gum out of his well-kept mullet. Coincidentally he also ran out of insulin pens yesterday afternoon so he was pretty much screwed in that aspect of things. Today of all days the reality of being in space comes crashing down on him. Being in space without his regular dosage of insulin or anything of that sorts. He has a supportive family though to get him through the rough patches. 

 

Keith sat up and pulled Lance into a side hug, pressing kisses to the brunette’s temple. “Good morning, sunshine,” Keith whispered his voice heavy with the rest of his slumber. “How did you sleep?” 

 

_ How did Lance sleep last night? _ Terrible. 

 

His mind was plagued with a recurring nightmare, each time coming in a different form. Sometimes his family would disappear. Sometimes the team would die. Sometimes Keith would leave him. Sometimes he would betray himself. Each time he wakes up in a cold sweat before the realization hits him. Keith is either wide awake and ready to comfort him or he’s fast asleep and unaware of his panic-ridden boyfriend hyperventilating from the recent dream. To add to that, he felt the inability to sleep. With each small sound of the night left Lance even more irritated than the last. 

 

Lance sighed. “I don’t know. Okay, I guess. Not the best but I’ll manage,” He said, his eyes cast down as he leaned on Keith’s shoulder. 

 

“Baby… You should have woken me up. I could have helped you go back to sleep,” Keith mumbled, kissing the top of Lance’s fluffy brown hair. “What woke you up? Was it another nightmare?”

 

Lance just shrugged. His body felt something at the moment but he couldn’t quite put his finger on the on it. “Yeah, yeah it was. But it wasn’t nearly as bad as the others. I still have a headache from when I first woke up last night,” Lance said, nuzzling further into Keith’s body. All the sudden he felt a familiar feeling in his lower body. “I have to pee,” Lance abruptly said, jumping off the bed and rushing into the bathroom, leaving behind a confused and worried Keith. Keith recognized the symptoms. 

 

Headache, irritation, the urgency to pee. 

 

Keith knew Lance’s BG was getting high. He shuffled out of the cozy bed and over to the small table in the corner of the room where Lance kept all his supplies. The red paladin searched through what seemed like endless piles of lollipop wrappers and empty insulin shots. He found not one full shot. Lance had no insulin left. No pens. No pills. Nothing. 

 

He heard the toilet flush from inside the bathroom and the fancy Altean sink flowing, only to be shut off moments later. A grumpy Lance came wondering out of the bathroom, his robe lazily tied around his waist. He yawned as he sauntered over to Keith and collapsed in a gentle morning hug. “I’m exhausted and I don’t even know why,” Lance mumbled into Keith’s chest. 

 

Keith took a moment to pat down the hair on Lance’s head, peppering small kisses on the top of his brunette locks. “Did you run out of insulin?” Keith asked. 

 

Lance nodded into the soft fabric of Keith’s shirt. Keith sighed, rubbing his boyfriend’s back. “You’re probably a little high right now. Why don’t we go check your sugar and decide what to do from there?” Keith suggested, waiting for a response from Lance. Lance nodded once again before pulling out of the hug and rubbed his tired eyes. Keith giggled once again. “Man, you really are tired,” Keith said, taking Lance’s hand and leading him out of the room and down the hall. 

 

Lance used to be really good about remembering his insulin. But ever since he was launched into space it’s become harder and harder to remember. With the constant training and the nonstop power of the Galra Empire consistently trying to kill the team, he can’t always just stop and check his levels to see if he’s high or low. Any bit of downtime he gets he’s either trying to fix his wonky-ass levels or he’s recovering from his wonky-ass levels. The insulin Pidge and Hunk provided for him isn’t perfect, but it works. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. 

 

Lance definitely preferred his low days over his high days. His low days were easier to handle. He follows the whole ‘eat and go’ procedure (as Hunk likes to call it). He eats something, his BG comes up to a sustainable level, and he goes and does whatever he needs to do. It’s how he functions. His high days, on the other hand, are a whole different story. 

 

The thing about Lance’s diabetes is he can bring is sugar up easily but if he gets it up too high, he’s in for it. When he was first diagnosed with type one diabetes, his doctor told his Mama that if his BG gets 120 for more than four hours, Lance could suffer some less severe but painful side effects. Lance, being the hyperactive eight-year-old he was, would forget how easy his blood sugar goes up. He would forget that eating a cookie for dessert could screw up his sugars for a good four to eight hours. 

 

When Lance got to the Garrison, his diabetes was so well controlled no one even knew. People thought he was really picky. Pidge and Hunk even thought that as well until they saw Lance testing his levels the third week at the Garrison. Neither of them brought it up. In fact, they acted as if they knew about it all along. 

 

As the couple neared the kitchen, they heard the distant screech of Hunk and the clatter of a metal mixing bowl on the ground, along with the distant laughter of Pidge. They entered and saw Shiro and Pidge laughing at Hunk, who had dropped a whole container of pink flour on the floor of the kitchen. “GUYS! It’s not funny! It was a really big spider,” Hunk yelled at the two snickering paladins sitting at the small table. They usually ate breakfast at the tiny table in the kitchen. It made them all feel closer as a space family. 

 

“Hunk, it was fake. I bought it at the space mall last week,” Pidge commented, waiting for Shiro to stop laughing so hard so he could back her up on her latest comment. 

 

Hunk glanced over at the couple standing in the doorway and instantly his face exploded into one only of pure joy. “Oh! Hey guys! Glad to see you’re up. I made space pancakes,” Hunk said as he dished out two pancakes from the stack and dropped them onto the Altean china. 

 

“Thanks, Hunk but I’ve gotta check my levels before I eat anything right now,” Lance said, stress leaking through his voice at an alarming rate. It seemed to catch everyone's attention. Shiro looked up with concern in his eyes. Hunk glanced nervously at the boy by the counter who had just stuck a needle into his finger. Keith watched the reactions of his peers, taking note of how concerned everyone was. 

 

Pidge was the only one to speak up. “Do you not feel okay?” She asked. “Maybe you’re just hungry.”

 

“I ran out of insulin yesterday afternoon so I think my BG is a little high,” Lance explained, picking his finger with the small needle once again. “UGH! This stupid thing is taking forever!” Lance shouted frustratingly at the glucose meter. The team was a bit taken back by the burst of emotion from the blue paladin. Keith recognized this as part of the irritability. The meter beeped loudly, dragging Lance’s frustrated gaze to the dark numbers at the top of the machine. “Oh my god- ARE YOU QUIZNAKING KIDDING ME!”

 

Keith raced over to his distressed boyfriend, practically smothering him in the ‘protective boyfriend stance’. “WHAT! WHAT IS IT!” Keith yelled, instantly regretting when he saw a look of pure discomfort crossed his boyfriend’s face. “I’m sorry hun… Is everything alright?” Keith asked sincerely, gently placing his hand on Lance’s shoulder. 

 

Suddenly Lance’s eyes began to tear up. “I’m really high right now Keith,” Lance sniffled, burying his face in Keith’s warm neck. Keith kept one arm around his boyfriend and one reached out to grab the glucose monitor before it could reset itself. All it took was one glance to realize what Lance was so freaked out by. 

 

  1. That was how high Lance was. It was going to take hours to bring him back down. Keith knew how much Lance hated his high days. Especially when he was higher than 120. When he was higher than 120, he usually pees a lot and gets really thirsty, along with nausea and stomach pains. He usually never got _sick_. But Keith remembers one time after the team finished up a feast with the locals Lance got really sick. Apparently, the little aliens had given them the wrong carb count list and Lance ate a bunch of the courses that had a high carb count. Keith recalls being woken up to the unpleasant sounds of Lance vomiting up everything he had eaten at the feast. To say the least, it was a long night for everyone. 



 

Lance let out a tiny sob which brought Keith out of memory lane. “Shhh… baby, you’re okay. We’ll fix this, don’t worry,” Keith cooed, placing the monitor back on the counter and rocked Lance back in forth in his arms. Hunk glanced at the abandoned monitor before picking it up, only to be taken back by the significantly large number that appeared on the screen. 139 might not be that high for some people, but for Lance, it pretty much meant he was in for a really crappy day. 

 

Shiro appeared over Hunk’s shoulder, a spark of worry igniting in his stomach when his eyes set upon the numbers. He mouthed the number ‘139’ to Pidge, who’s eyes widened like an owl. Shiro turned his attention back towards the couple slowly swaying beside the counter. “I’m gonna call off training for the day. I think we could use a break anyways,” He said, trying to lighten the mood. Keith looked back at Shiro in acknowledgment before he turned back to Lance and pressed a series of butterfly kisses all over the brunettes tear-stained face. 

 

“I’m taking him back to our room. I’ll call for one of you guys if we need something,” Keith said, allowing Lance out of his hug but keeping him pressed to his side. Lance rested his head heavily on Keith’s shoulder while his arms were wound tightly around Keith’s left arm. The other paladins nodded, eyes full of sympathy for the blue paladin. Keith held Lance close to his side as they left the room. 

 

Lance sighed heavily, one arm now rested around his stomach and the other wedged between Keith’s side. Keith still had Lance pressed against his side but he knew that it would make the other boy feel more comfortable. “Can we take the long way back to the quarters? Maybe it’ll bring my sugars down a little,” Lance suggested, his voice frail and small. His doctor had told him that a cause for high blood sugar sometimes is not moving around a lot. Lance always figured that when he was high he could just take a nice long walk and everything would be fine. But when you live on a floating space castle, you’re kind of limited to your walking space. 

 

“Definitely,” Keith responded. “But I want to know if anything’s bothering you right now. Like does your stomach hurt? Are you thirsty? Dizzy?” Keith listed off some symptoms and waited for Lance to respond. 

 

The brunette took a deep breath before speaking. “I am really thirsty and I have to pee again. My stomach feels a little crampy but nothing too terrible. I’m not dizzy and I only have a minor headache.”

 

Keith nodded, squeezing Lance a little closer to him just so he knew Keith was there for him. They took the long way back the quarters. Along the way, they stopped by the med bay to check for some supplies, which Coran helped them find. They made their way back to their room in a comfortable silence. 

 

Upon entering the cool, quiet bedroom, Lance had already bolted to the bathroom. Keith set up what they had brought back from the med bay. He had just plugged in the heating pad when Lance came staggering out of the bathroom. Keith looked over in concern and walked over to help his disheveled boyfriend. “I guess Imma lil dizzy,” Lance slurred as Keith wrapped his arm around Lance’s midsection and helped him over to the bed. 

 

“Get comfortable, okay? I’ll be right back,” Keith said before taking a weird Altean water bottle type thing and retreating into the bathroom. Lance was left there alone in the silent room. The rattle of the air conditioner grated his nerves. The tapping of the loose screw on the ventilation system sounded as loud as the shots from his bayard. The pounding of his headache was somehow ten times worse than earlier. Lance groaned, his hands rubbing his eyes frustratingly. 

 

Keith waltzed back into the room carrying the water bottle and a small trashcan. Lance’s eyes fidgeted. The last thing he wanted was to have to stick his head in that trashcan and puke his guts out. Keith read his expression like a book. “It’s just in case you feel sick. Besides, you feel okay right now, right?” 

 

Lance paused to narrow down how he was feeling. 

 

Stomach pains? Not too significant at the moment. Dizziness? Slightly. Nausea? Not really. “Yeah, Keith. My stomach still feels crampy and I’m really thirsty. But other than that I feel okay,” Lance stated. 

 

Keith smiled. “I think the heating pad will help with the cramps and I have water for the thirst. The rest will have to be cured with my cuddles.”

 

Lance laughed, only to find his head flaring up in pain and his stomach churn. Keith seemed to notice. He brought the water over to his boyfriend and held it out. Lance graciously took the water and chugged it. Keith kept advising him to slow down but he just couldn’t. Eventually, the bottle was empty and Lance had sent Keith out again to get more water. 

 

About three hours later, Lance felt the nausea in his stomach settle so he could actually get some sleep. Keith had kept him grounded since this morning. He brought Lance more water, rubbed his back when he dry heaved into the small container and cuddled him when he was feeling restless. 

 

“You falling asleep on me?” Keith asked playfully yet quietly. Lance nodded into Keith’s chest, breathing in the scent of his boyfriend before mumbling out a good night. Lance felt the vibrations from Keith’s laugh against his cheek before he fell into a deep sleep. Keith still rubbed his back and massaged his hair while he slept. Distant footsteps were heard coming down the hallway as well as Hunk and Pidge’s muffled chatter. Then there was a knock on the door. 

 

“Come in,” Keith half whispered half yelled. The door slid open to reveal Pidge, Hunk, and Shiro standing in the doorway. Hunk was holding a small rectangular box that looked similar to a shoe box. “Hey, guys. What’s up?”

 

“Well, Pidge and I managed to replicate the exact insulin solution that Lance used back on Earth. Now he won’t have to worry about the aftermath of using his other insulin pens,” Hunk explained with pride. He walked over and set the box on the table in the back corner of the room. “Make sure he takes some of that when he wakes up.”

 

“Heh, I will. Don’t worry,” Keith said, smiling at the rest of the team before they left. 

 

Keith kissed the top of Lance’s head before he let himself be consumed by sleep himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See the notes at the beginning! 
> 
> Love you guys<3

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo before I get any hate, hear me out.  
> -I don't have diabetes so I don't know any of this information from a personal account  
> -All the information I have was given to me by friends, family, blogs, etc.  
> -If I don't get something right, I do apologize in advance. (Don't be a shit face and leave hate in the comments)  
> -I take constructive criticism  
> Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. 
> 
> /\  
> |  
> |  
> All of that was my rant! Feel free to ask any questions in the comments! I love getting asked about my personal life and my shitty emo ass lifestyle. Anyhow hope you guys enjoyed part one <3


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